Question 1372Navigation General

The correct answer is D) anomalistic year. The anomalistic year is the period of the Earth's revolution from perihelion to perihelion, which is the point in the Earth's orbit around the Sun when it is closest to the Sun. This period is slightly longer than the sidereal year (the time it takes for the Earth to complete one revolution around the Sun relative to the fixed stars), due to the precession of the Earth's orbit. The other options are incorrect because the solar year is the length of a calendar year, the astronomical year is a more general term for the Earth's orbital period, and the sidereal year is the time it takes for the Earth to complete one revolution around the Sun relative to the fixed stars, which is slightly shorter than the anomalistic year.